I can be such a self-righteous, judgy bitch sometimes. Especially when it comes to looking at other fitness professionals’ stance on health and how they portray a healthy lifestyle. About a week ago I was reading a cookbook created by a popular trainer, and I caught myself being super judgy about stuff that didn’t even matter, like the color scheme in her outfit on the front cover, or the pictures of her featured on every friggin’ page of the cookbook.

Being that I am a student of personal development, I nipped the judgement in the bud, knowing that there is nothing for me to gain from being that way. I also know those judgements fully come from a place of envy around her success in the industry I’ve been working so hard to “get ahead” in for a decade. Instead of flipping superficially through her cookbook, I decided to read the intro and see what the rage is all about.

The cookbook itself was all about healthy cooking alternatives for foods and meals people love. I found that many of the recipes looked incredible and enticing! Being that I don’t really love cooking, this is not something I’d see myself using, but I could see how people who are cooking for themselves (or taking it on) might find this book incredibly helpful.

She starts the book out with educational pieces all about macronutrients, how they work and why they’re important. Great! Then she said something that I earnestly disagreed with, and a popular notion I’ve seen and heard from health professionals, sellers of pre-made meals and nutrition companies all over: don’t concern yourself with the science of it all!Just follow these recipes, eat these meals, drink these shakes and you’re in good hands!

In an ideal world, this is workable. But I find myself catching lunch at a 711 more than I care to admit. The power I have in knowing what to avoid, how to find foods that propel my energy and what can sufficiently hold me over till the next ‘planned’ meal has been integral in living the kind of life I live. Our days often do not shape up looking like what we’ve planned them to be, so what is someone to do when they find themselves in a compromising position where their kitchen or pre-packaged meal is not readily available?

Here’s an even MORE likely scenario: how do you forgo foods that you know are ‘bad’ for you, like those donuts your well-meaning co-worker keeps bringing into the office? This is where knowing - like REALLY knowing - comes in handy. What also comes in handy is knowing that there are no ‘bad’ foods, only foods that don’t serve what you’re up to. Being able to identify what those foods are and understanding how they feed your desire for those donuts can stop the proverbial dominoes from falling. Yes! OTHER FOODS (or a lack thereof) might be causing your desire for those donuts.

Even with this discrepancy in our viewpoints, I continued reading the cookbook. She talked about the simplicity of living a healthy lifestyle and even expressed that being healthy is all about how you feel, not how you look, even though the title of the cookbook had the word ‘bikini’ in it, which I found ironic. And then she called food logging tedious. Tedious? TEDIOUS?!? Ok, ok, fine! Maybe it is, but that certainly doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take it on. I won’t even give a paying client of mine food advice until they give me 7 days of logging! Know why? Because if I don’t know what they’re doing, I cannot give sound advice. Period. And 7 days of logging barely scratches the surface of a person’s ongoing habits and ways of living.

Could you imagine a business projecting goals for the year and not once considering tracking their performance, past or present? How successful do you think the fulfillment of those goals would be? As a business owner for 10 years and I’ll answer the question for you: not very.

To be clear, I am not saying one needs to be logging every day of their life in order to be successful in the world of health. I’m saying that it is infinitely easier to strategize action when you know what’s actually going on. And if you’ve never logged for an extended period of time, I almost guarantee you don’t know what is actually going on.

Knowledge combined with statistics is a recipe for success.

At Comfy Fitness, we are changing the same old conversation of what it means to be healthy. What has been popular in our society is not working for us. In our newest program, Comfy Lifestyle, we operate from a place where knowledge and statistics are powerful tools. The simple act of understanding can completely alter your actions and also alter the fall-out that comes with taking undesired or unplanned action, e.g. the “Fuck it! I already ruined my diet.” conversation that ultimately destroys our intentions.

Whether you use the accountability of our programs or fitness memberships or you don’t, the ability to be knowledgeable about your body and about your actions is within your grasp*. Accountability goes a long way, however, so please reach out if you need some. We are a only an email, instant message or phone call away.

* MyFitnessPal is a free app that counts calories, micronutrients and macronutrients with ease.